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Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 10, the "Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011" (REINS Act). H.R. 10 creates an unworkable process that will make it nearly impossible for new regulations to be enacted by giving Congress only 70 days in which to consider and approve major rules. The REINS Act is the latest in a trio of anti-regulation measures considered by the House of Representatives within the past week. House Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) made the following statement:
Today, the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet held an oversight hearing on the antitrust enforcement agencies. The top federal officials charged with enforcing antitrust laws, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz and Acting Assistant Attorney General Sharis Pozen of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, testified before the subcommittee. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) made the following statement:
Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1021, the "Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2011." The bill extends by 5 years the authorizations for 30 temporary bankruptcy judgeships in 20 judicial districts around the country. Included in the bill is an amendment authored by Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) which provided for the extension of many additional temporary judgeships across the country, including one in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Today, the House of Representatives began consideration of a series of bills aimed at disrupting the regulatory process that is responsible for protecting the health and safety of millions of Americans. H.R. 527, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act, H.R. 3010, the Regulatory Accountability Act, and H.R. 10, the REINS Act all will undermine a host of regulatory protections. These protections range from food, product and workplace safety standards to financial fraud prevention rules.
Today, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on "Constitutional Limitations on States' Authority to Collect Sales Taxes." In the 1992 Quill Decision, the Supreme Court struck down a North Dakota law that required an out-of-state business to remit sales taxes on in-state customers because the business in question did not have a substantial enough presence in the state. However in the opinion, the Justices specifically stated that Congress is in a better position to resolve the issue and possessed the Constitutional authority to do so.
Today, the House of Representatives rejected H.J. Res. 2, a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, when the measure failed to garner the two-thirds majority vote necessary for adoption. The amendment did not include any explicit guarantees to protect Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security; would have required federal government outlays not to exceed receipts; and would have required a two-thirds super majority to raise the debt ceiling. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) made the following statement in response to the House's action:
Today the House Judiciary Committee, without holding a single legislative hearing, began consideration of H.R. 3256, the "Deport Convicted Foreign Criminals Act of 2011." Under the bill, for every 90 day period a country does not repatriate an individual scheduled for deportation by the U.S. government, the State Department must automatically retaliate by denying visas to individuals from that country, including the spouses and minor children of American citizens, tourists, students, scientists, engineers, and other high-skilled foreign workers.